LeBron James to Star in Space Jam 2

[The Deadman]

http://411mania.com/movies/lebron-james-to-star-in-space-jam-2/

According to Variety the rumors from last summer are now true, LeBron James will star in Space Jam 2. The site also reports that producers are talking with Justin Lin (Fast and Furious 6) to direct the film. The original Space Jam (1996) starred Michael Jordan and made $230 million ($80 million budget) at the worldwide box office.

[Donatello19]

As long as Lola Bunny is back, I'm down with this :tcool:

[Sumac]

A new year of miracles?
Nah...;)

[Cure]

As long as Lola Bunny is back, I'm down with this :tcool:

I just wish it would be the Lola Bunny from The Looney Tunes Show.

[JakeSully]

As long as Lola Bunny is back, I'm down with this :tcool:

Damn right man, i dug her since i was a teen when i saw Space Jam in theaters.

[Roseangelo]

http://www.warnerbros.com/archive/spacejam/movie/jam.htm

Ah, and the infamous Space Jam website, which for some reason Warner Bros. continues to keep live. It's a brilliant snapshot of what websites were like back in 1996.

[Shark_Blade]

Lola!!!! Yaaassss!!!
http://www.warnerbros.com/archive/spacejam/movie/jam.htm

Ah, and the infamous Space Jam website, which for some reason Warner Bros. continues to keep live. It's a brilliant snapshot of what websites were like back in 1996.
That's fascinating. I'm glad they keep that ancient artefact alive till this day. :tlove:

[ToTheNines]

Damn right man, i dug her since i was a teen when i saw Space Jam in theaters.

Bruh, you were like 32 in 1996. Don't lie.

[sdp]

I don't really care but I'm very well aware that I'm not the target audience. Now the original movie might not be the greatest but I was the target audience at the time and I will forever love it since it hits all the right nostalgia points.

http://www.warnerbros.com/archive/spacejam/movie/jam.htm

Ah, and the infamous Space Jam website, which for some reason Warner Bros. continues to keep live. It's a brilliant snapshot of what websites were like back in 1996.

I once read on Digg or reddit from someone who worked on servers mentioned how to find the site and delete it was far more trouble since it may be linked to other stuff or whatnot.

Personally I don't believe that and think that Warner Bros has no idea and just don't care. Sure maybe they became aware of its existence in the last few years with its internet "fame" just left it there. But yeah in my experience companies just let websites continue until they lose the rights or have a new product for that IP. Take the Jurassic Park website for example for years it kept telling you about the "new" Jurassic Park DVDs which were released before the movie JP/// came out and remained like that for ten years until the Blu-Rays for the trilogy were announced but you can still find the original 1997 The Lost World Jurassic Park website.

[snake]

Awesome. Space Jam is one of those things that are impossible to hate, regardless whether or not you enjoy basketball

[Wildcat]

Add me to the list of Lola fans :D

I don't really like LeBron James but I'd still see it. The first one was ok.

[Utrommaniac]

I'm just wondering what kind of goofiness will go down here; Personally, I enjoy the 2011 Lola because she actually has her own wackiness - even if it's just airheadedness. Her sharing screen time with Daffy was gold, leading them into...situations.

Most of all, I look forward to the reasoning of the Toons not looking for Michael Jorden again. Even if it's a short gag.

[drgon78]

Why? the first one was horrible. Though I agree about Lola.

[JakeSully]

Bruh, you were like 32 in 1996. Don't lie.

I aint, i was born 81 ok and was 15

[JakeSully]

I just wish it would be the Lola Bunny from The Looney Tunes Show.

Yeh she is cute on that show

[Cure]

That's not what I meant, weirdo.

[Spike Spiegel]

That's not what I meant, weirdo.

We can't all be CyberCubed...

I couldn't stand the character changes for the Looney Tunes Show, myself...

[Cure]

At least CyberCubed lusts after real women.

[Prowler]

Eh, I really love the original Space Jam but I dunno if this kind of movie would be very successful nowadays.

http://www.warnerbros.com/archive/spacejam/movie/jam.htm

Ah, and the infamous Space Jam website, which for some reason Warner Bros. continues to keep live. It's a brilliant snapshot of what websites were like back in 1996.
And I hope it never goes away. It's a good historical document.

[Spike Spiegel]

Eh, I really love the original Space Jam but I dunno if this kind of movie would be very successful nowadays.


And I hope it never goes away. It's a good historical document.

I see a Space Jam sequel being more viable as a webseries or TV special.

[THGhost]

I just wish it would be the Lola Bunny from The Looney Tunes Show.

This.

Why? the first one was horrible.

https://media.giphy.com/media/dC9DTdqPmRnlS/giphy.gif

[ranger_scout]

The film is scheduled for release on July 16, 2021.

Space Jam 2 Release Date Set for 2021!
(https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1042479-space-jam-2-release-date-set-for-2021)

[Egon1982]

I actually liked the original as a guilty pleasure and liked it, plus Lola was fine as hell just like Minerva Mink, Cleo from Heathcliff, Mona Lisa etc, LOL.

[ranger_scout]

Just in case no one already knew, it was reported earlier that Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed) has signed on to produce the film. It will also be directed by Terence Nance (Random Acts of Flyness, The Oversimplification of Her Beauty).

[Leo656]

Lola better be in it and she better be voiced by Kath Soucie, or I'm totally not interested. I don't think I even know what Lebron James looks like.

[ZariusTwo]

This time Dan Ackroyd better be in this picture.

[ranger_scout]

Lola better be in it and she better be voiced by Kath Soucie, or I'm totally not interested. I don't think I even know what Lebron James looks like.

Well it looks like Lola will be in the film based on this image from SpringHill Entertainment.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dz-XtjKUcAADyd3.jpg

https://twitter.com/SpringHillEnt/status/1098763688083746816

[Prowler]

I did like Lola's character in the original Space Jam movie. As for the Looney Tunes show that aired a few years ago, only seen a couple of episodes or so. I guess she felt more like an actual Looney Tunes character there, but it was a bit odd to see Bugs all serious when talking to her and such. I feel like he had better chemistry with Lola from Space Jam, and it was also interesting to see someone Bugs couldn't one up for once.

[Leo656]

I wasn't really about it. It was like a totally different character that just happened to have the same name.

I mean, she was funny, but she wasn't Lola. Otherwise the character was fine. That show had a lot of problems though.

[Prowler]

I wasn't really about it. It was like a totally different character that just happened to have the same name.

I mean, she was funny, but she wasn't Lola. Otherwise the character was fine. That show had a lot of problems though.

From the few episodes I've seen, the show just didn't feel much like the Looney Tunes I was used to. It just felt "too normal", I guess. It was odd to me to watch the gang having normal jobs and lives instead of just seeing them at the forest and such. No idea if there's episodes where you see Bugs Bunny messing with Elmer Fudd or Coyote in Death valley trying to catch the Road Runner for the 4567th time or not, but from the few episodes I've seen of it it just seemed too different and lacked the whackiness that the original Looney Tunes had. Plus, it felt a bit too sanitised as well. It didnt' seem to have the edge Looney Tunes always had.

Maybe since the show was an attempt at getting the current generation of kids into Looney Tunes they tried to present it in a more in touch with the current times fashion, but I dunno, I grew up watching the old Looney Tunes shorts on Cartoon Network when I was a kid in the 90s and loved them, even though I knew they were quite old by then. I've always viewed the Looney Tunes as being one of those timeless things anyone can enjoy, but maybe I'm wrong.

Oh well, there's always the classics.

[Leo656]

I kinda think that as overall "Okay, I guess" as Space Jam is, it's officially the last time anything "Looney Tunes" was relevant. Which is probably why there's been a push to revive it ever since. Literally nothing else they've done with the brand has meant anything ever since. It's a shame, but clearly the struggle to make Looney Tunes "hip" that they've been waging since 1993 is a losing battle.

All anyone cares about is the "classics". These new shows are... eh, they have their moments but they're definitely their own thing. And nobody's going to be talking about them in 50 years the way we still remember the shorts from the 40s that they used to play on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, or ABC Saturday Morning or whatever.

You can give 'em all the skateboards, backwards hats and basketball movies you want, you can't change that. "Looney Tunes" is the old stuff; everything since then is hipster parody and self-satire. Which is alright sometimes, but it's definitely not as timeless or endearing as the other stuff.

[Prowler]

I kinda think that as overall "Okay, I guess" as Space Jam is, it's officially the last time anything "Looney Tunes" was relevant. Which is probably why there's been a push to revive it ever since. Literally nothing else they've done with the brand has meant anything ever since. It's a shame, but clearly the struggle to make Looney Tunes "hip" that they've been waging since 1993 is a losing battle.

All anyone cares about is the "classics". These new shows are... eh, they have their moments but they're definitely their own thing. And nobody's going to be talking about them in 50 years the way we still remember the shorts from the 40s that they used to play on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, or ABC Saturday Morning or whatever.

You can give 'em all the skateboards, backwards hats and basketball movies you want, you can't change that. "Looney Tunes" is the old stuff; everything since then is hipster parody and self-satire. Which is alright sometimes, but it's definitely not as timeless or endearing as the other stuff.
Yes, Looney Tunes Back in Action came out in 2003 and it wasn't as successful as Space Jam, at all. Rarely do I hear people talk about that movie. I went to see it at the cinema and I thought it was ok for what it was, but clearly not really worth a re-watch.

Does the same thing perhaps happen with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, etc? Come to think of it, everyone knows the core Disney characters, but when people talk about their favourite Disney stuff they'll talk about all the Disney animated movies they grew up instead of anything they saw Donald or Mickey in. Here in Europe we grew up reading Disney comic books in the 80s/90s where the characters' personalites are more fleshed out and where characters like Scrooge McDuck really shine, but they're not that popular anymore. They came back a few years ago, but it seems like pretty much only Italians bother to draw Disney comics these days.

[Leo656]

Yeah, basically. Some stuff is simply too "of its time" to be updated. Doesn't mean it can't still be enjoyable even today, but that mostly only counts in the sense of the original stuff that made it popular in the first place. The stuff produced past a certain point serves little purpose but to remind everyone that the older, better stuff still exists.

As for "Back In Action", Jenna Elfman is hot, but that's about all I remember aside from the fact Goldberg was in it.

[Prowler]

Yeah, basically. Some stuff is simply too "of its time" to be updated. Doesn't mean it can't still be enjoyable even today, but that mostly only counts in the sense of the original stuff that made it popular in the first place. The stuff produced past a certain point serves little purpose but to remind everyone that the older, better stuff still exists.

As for "Back In Action", Jenna Elfman is hot, but that's about all I remember aside from the fact Goldberg was in it.
Goldberg was only in it as a background bodyguard anyway. I don't think he even had a single line in the movie.

Tom & Jerry also had an animated film in the late 90s. I liked it a lot as a kid as did other kids at my school, but I have no idea if it was successful. Also, wasn't the Tom & Jerry Kids series airing in the 90s as well? I guess that was an attempt at making T&J more appealing to kids at the time?

Without googling it, I have no idea what's going on with Tom & Jerry these days. If it's still relevant or if it's pretty much just shelved/dead. Haven't heard of anything Tom & Jerry in ages.

[Wildcat]

I don’t know about that release date. They’ve brought it up several times. Seems like it’s just...eventually.

I liked the first one fine. It’s entertaining. Yes Lola is hot. I’d assume she’d be in it no matter what. It’s where she was introduced to the franchise.

Have not seen Back in Action. I thought The LT Show was good. Wabbit is decent. From what I’ve seen.

I think the newest Tom and Jerry Show is still going but they moved everything to that Boomerang streaming service. It might have ended.

I thought Tom and Jerry Kids was good. They were cute.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

I liked the first one fine. It’s entertaining. Yes Lola is hot. I’d assume she’d be in it no matter what. It’s where she was introduced to the franchise.

Have not seen Back in Action. I thought The LT Show was good. Wabbit is decent. From what I’ve seen.

I think the newest Tom and Jerry Show is still going but they moved everything to that Boomerang streaming service. It might have ended.

I thought Tom and Jerry Kids was good. They were cute.

I kinda like/have a guilty pleasure for the later Tom and Jerry cartoons as someone who adores the originals.

I wasn't really about it. It was like a totally different character that just happened to have the same name.

I mean, she was funny, but she wasn't Lola. Otherwise the character was fine. That show had a lot of problems though.

From the few episodes I've seen, the show just didn't feel much like the Looney Tunes I was used to. It just felt "too normal", I guess. It was odd to me to watch the gang having normal jobs and lives instead of just seeing them at the forest and such. No idea if there's episodes where you see Bugs Bunny messing with Elmer Fudd or Coyote in Death valley trying to catch the Road Runner for the 4567th time or not, but from the few episodes I've seen of it it just seemed too different and lacked the whackiness that the original Looney Tunes had. Plus, it felt a bit too sanitised as well. It didnt' seem to have the edge Looney Tunes always had.

Maybe since the show was an attempt at getting the current generation of kids into Looney Tunes they tried to present it in a more in touch with the current times fashion, but I dunno, I grew up watching the old Looney Tunes shorts on Cartoon Network when I was a kid in the 90s and loved them, even though I knew they were quite old by then. I've always viewed the Looney Tunes as being one of those timeless things anyone can enjoy, but maybe I'm wrong.

Oh well, there's always the classics.

The Looney Tunes Show was essentially a slice-of-life cartoon. It's actually not weird to see LT attempting something like that, imo. I felt it worked even though some episodes were rather odd, even for LT.:lol: I did like Lola in Space Jam but she was...interesting in this show. The Nostalgia Critic actually preferred this take on her since I guess it gives her a personality. Me personally, I could take or leave a LT character with personality because most characters have substance.

I like shows like Duck Dodgers, Baby Looney Tunes, and The Looney Tunes Show. I couldn't get into Loonatics Unleashed though. Too weird for my tastes. I can just watch Super Rabbit or Stuuuuper Duck for my fill of LT characters as super heroes. Have not yet watched the New Looney Tunes (formerly known as Wabbit for its first season).

[Wildcat]

Ya I’ve liked all the Tom and Jerry eras. I never knew some were against certain versions til the internet.

Some have different art style but that doesn’t really bother me. I do prefer the traditional look though.

[Leo656]

I always thought Space Jam Lola HAD a personality: Independent, "empowered" (before that was a buzzword), confident go-getter who keeps fit, speaks her mind, and is a team player. We learn buckets about her despite her tragically limited screen time. Like yes, she's hot, but if she wasn't also a well-developed (pun may or may not be intended) character then people wouldn't still care half as much, or notice when her personality is presented "wrong" in another medium. I thought her personality as presented in the film was fine. It's hard to create a brand new character for a long-existing franchise and not "Scrappy-Doo" 'em, but they pulled it off very well.

Contrasted with her "personality" on the Looney Tunes Show: Clingy, obsessive, bubble-headed, co-dependent pseudo-stalker. They're NOT the same character at all. If one version of a character most likely couldn't even stand to be around another version of (ostensibly) the same character, someone has messed up badly. Not only are they not the same character, they wouldn't even be friends. That's just terrible, lazy writing. It's clear to me that they wanted Bugs to have a "girlfriend" for the show with that specific, off-putting personality, but were afraid to come up with a new character since they knew everyone would ask "Where's Lola?" So they just threw out everything about Lola that was endearing and made her an empty vessel to pour a new personality into because it better fit the project.

To me, it begs the question of WHY they wanted Bugs to have a "girlfriend" he secretly could barely tolerate to begin with, but hey, I'm not Warner Bros. For all we know, if they'd left well enough alone that show might still be on the air. Probably not, but I know very few people genuinely LIKED the change, and wanted to see the character they already knew and liked rather well. So it's hard to imagine the reception would have been any worse.
--------

I kind of liked the "slice of life" stuff with that show, and after all, it's nothing new, but I generally prefer that it be in small doses. As others have said, I grew up on "Looney Tunes" shows that were about 6-minute wacky skits that were as batsh*t crazy as possible. The entire point was being off the wall and imaginative. Seeing Bugs going about mundane tasks such as paying bills and whatnot is fun sometimes, but also completely misses the point. Again, you can do it sometimes, and they always have, but I feel like making that the entire show's premise was a mistake. People want to see Wile E. try and fail to catch the Road Runner, to disastrous comedic effect and grievous self-injury; nobody wants to see them sitting around a Starbucks making idle chitchat. Not more than once in a blue moon, anyway. It's a mishandling of the characters. Not an "assassination", but it definitely doesn't use them to their fullest potential, either.

"Mundane" isn't something Looney Tunes should ever be, in my opinion. But again, it's been a long time since anyone truly cared, so they're at a loss as to how to engage a newer audience, so they try these things. I get it. And I don't envy them, either. But it shouldn't be a mystery why it doesn't ultimately work.

[Wildcat]

I agree Lola already had a pretty clear personality.

I didn’t mind LT Show Lola though. She was kinda funny.

I don’t think it was some blasphemy against Space Jam. It’s just a reimagining for that particular show.

[Leo656]

She was "kinda funny", yeah, but she absolutely wasn't Lola, is my point. It was a bit farther than a "reimagining". They kept the name and practically zero else.

I don't know what they teach in writing classes nowadays, I'm almost 20 years out of school. "Back in my day", though, we called that "horse sh*t". If all you keep is a name, it's not the same character, call them something else.

[Wildcat]

The horse crap line made me laugh but ya I guess they could have made a different character.

This has been called a remake but also part 2. I’d prefer a sequel. Either way I hope she has a bigger part.

[Leo656]

A remake would be flat-out bizarre. Even a sequel this many years later is a bit bizarre. :trazz:

The original was such a perfect storm, I'm not at all sure how a new one might do. But I can't see it succeeding at the same level. Lebron was never the "force" in the larger culture that Jordan was, and basketball isn't the phenomenon it was in 1996, either. It helped that it was a passable kids' movie, but there were so many other cultural factors in play that it's hard to imagine the new one having even half of the impact.

For one thing, I think they're aiming for an entirely different audience: The original was clearly aimed at kids, while this one is a Hipster Nostalgia piece. Nobody under 30 is likely to care a lot, because "Looney Tunes" doesn't mean anything to anyone younger than that anymore. An entire generation has come up not giving two sh*ts about Bugs Bunny, which is tragic but still the truth. The whole temperature is different. It's weird.

I'm curious to see what happens, because I do like the original just fine for what it is - I just objectively recognize that it simply isn't great outside of nostalgia - but I'll be very surprised if it does extremely well. It feels more than a little desperate, and times have changed.

[Wildcat]

I think it’ll do fine. I’m guessing you don’t watch the NBA from one of your previous posts. I do. It’s the only sport I watch.

Lebron is definitely popular but does have a lot of naysayers too. Just different things. You would have had to watch the past 10 seasons or so understand.

There’s jokes going around about Bugs Bunny and characters getting traded.

Looney Tunes are not massively popular but they’re famous enough. I’m sure kids watch reruns of the classics and other versions that have come along.

[Leo656]

I don't follow sports and never did, but I do loosely follow culture. Perhaps basketball fans put Lebron in the same category as Jordan, but nobody else does. Just like John Cena may be technically a more popular "wrestling star" than Hulk Hogan was, if you measure by action figures and T-shirt sales, but as far as global popularity and impact on the larger culture it's still no contest. Huge parts of the world have no idea who John Cena even is, or Stone Cold, but they know Hulk Hogan. That will still be the case in another 30 years. Cena is a huge star to wrestling fans, but he's comparatively a "nobody". Going from MJ to Lebron is the same thing.

There's the lens that fans of a sport (or any "thing") see things through, and there's the larger cultural lens. And it can get blurry when you go from one lens to another. But make no mistake, Lebron James isn't half the "draw" Michael Jordan is or was, and the sport itself definitely isn't as popular as it was 25 years ago, when everybody at the very least owned a Bulls hat, even if they'd never watched a single game, because it was a status symbol. Basketball is still popular, obviously, but that level of cultural saturation has long since passed. UFC seems to be the new "thing", the one that even people who don't follow nonetheless have an opinion on and buy merch of. In another 20 years it'll be something else. That's just how it cycles.

I don't even hold Jordan to any sort of high esteem or anything; I think he was good at his job, but in general based on everything I've heard he seems like a rotten, extremely flawed human being who happened to be very good at exactly one thing, and he was extremely successful at it. We know he can't play baseball, and thanks to Space Jam we know for SURE that he can't act. :trazz: But he did well with his one skill, and I give him credit for it. Otherwise, "F*ck him" is more or less my general opinion of Michael Jordan.

But I wanted to make it clear I'm not a "fan" of his. Just that I recognize that his status in the larger culture is far loftier than that of Lebron James, and that status was a HUGE part of why the first film is such a phenomenon. I don't think it's repeatable just by copying the same formula and plugging in whoever the current "Top Guy" is. That's a "Going from 'Hulkamania' to the Lex Express" type situation; as we all know (or should), that didn't take at all. And it certainly wasn't from a lack of sincere effort on the part of everyone involved. It just was never gonna work because it was 1993 and not 1984. You can't just update the ingredients and bake the same exact cake. It's not gonna be the same, and independent of that, tastes also change.

I kinda feel like this movie is going to reinforce that lesson the hard way, is all. I mean, it probably won't be terrible, but I foresee a lot of "Eh."

[Wildcat]

Oh no Lebron is definitely not in the same cultural status as Jordan was. I agree with that. That’s one of the many topics of jokes surrounding him. His legacy and how he’s portrayed himself.

I’m not a fan of his either. There’s times I rooted for him based on the situation but that’s it. I’m ok with him being in the movie. He’s still a pretty big sports figure right now. That’s why I think it’ll do fine. And that Looney Tunes are iconic characters.

[Leo656]

But are they "iconic" enough in 2019-2020 to sell a motion picture - a REAL one, not a Netflix "movie" or something - to anyone under the age of 30 and actually draw a dime? THAT is my question. I know the collective, royal "We" all appreciate Space Jam for what it is, but "Back In Action" came out 5 minutes later and didn't draw a dime, and the entire franchise has been a smoking wreck ever since.

People of any age react to the original animated shorts even today because they are, indeed, timeless classics. But Space Jam is the polar opposite, a product of its time that only happened because of a very specific cultural climate and a unique set of circumstances, that many people now will agree isn't as much of a movie as it is a commercial, both for the NBA and the larger Looney Tunes brand. It's not timeless, it's extremely dated from every angle. As for "classic", well... it was an important part of many people's childhoods, for sure, but that doesn't quit earn the definition in and of itself. It's a passable kids movie that most adults probably won't hate. That's the limit.

I predict it'll do "fine" but not great, and the reviews... well, we can go ahead and write them now, for all that's worth. :lol: I think fans of the original will have a fun night out but it'll probably lose money. Because again, ain't nobody under 30 gonna care, and there's only so many hipsters willing to spend theater money on a kids movie, nostalgia fuzzies be damned.

We can assume no R. Kelly this time; I hear he's kinda busy at the moment. :trazz:

[Wildcat]

Looney Tunes is a smoking wreck? I know it’s not “in” at the moment and hasn’t really been mainstream since I guess Space Jam but it seems to have done ok. The cartoon series keep getting made and updated.

Like I said I’m sure kids watch reruns. That’s how I watched them back on Nick.

I think parents will take kids to this. Based on sports, Looney Tunes or both. Plus whoever grew up with the first. Probably won’t be a massive blockbuster hit but it’ll do alright I think.

[Leo656]

They do likely watch reruns of the original skits. As I've said, that's literally ALL anyone cares about insofar as "Looney Tunes"; skits from 50-80 years ago, now. THOSE things still get a reaction, but meanwhile, they've tried a half-dozen failed reboots in the last 15+ years and STILL can't make anyone care about anything happening Here and Now.

Those "updated" series are attempts to get people to care. And they don't work. Everything from "Loonatics Unleashed" to "Baby Looney Tunes" to "The New Looney Tunes Show" to the ones I know I'm missing were all positively reeking of desperation, and by any objective standard, they were all a complete failure. How long did they last? How fondly are they remembered? What was the cultural impact? Not long, not well, and ZERO, would be the answers; thus, my "smoking wreck" comment.

Obviously new products come out and obviously they make some coin from it. But they can't claim that the Looney Tunes brand in 2019 means ANYTHING except for nostalgia. And that's not what they want; they want it to be "hip" like it used to be. They've tried everything, failed everything, so now they go back to the ONE thing in semi-recent years that people didn't all turn up their noses at. It makes sense, but again, it's openly, unapologetically a desperate cry for attention from a comatose brand.

You can almost see the boardroom full of frazzled execs; "Let's see... skateboards didn't work... hip-hop clothes didn't work... that sci-fi thing in the far future didn't work... Jesus, when's the last time anyone liked us?!" "((Checks notes)) Um... that basketball movie from 20 years ago." "....Y'know what? F*ck it, lets just do that again. At least it's a headline."

They'll still be selling stuffed Bugs dolls until the heat death of the universe; that isn't my point. My point is, you can bet your bottom dollar that WB execs CAN'T STAND the fact that more kids today know Pikachu than Bugs Bunny, and they'd do anything to change that fact. I empathize with them, sincerely. I personally can't stand it either.

But if you don't truly think that they are, indeed, desperate, let me remind you: They're making a 20-years later sequel to a movie not a lot of people were in love with the first time. That is the very definition of, "We're completely out of ideas." If they had anything better, they'd have done it by now.

[Prowler]

I always thought Space Jam Lola HAD a personality: Independent, "empowered" (before that was a buzzword), confident go-getter who keeps fit, speaks her mind, and is a team player. We learn buckets about her despite her tragically limited screen time. Like yes, she's hot, but if she wasn't also a well-developed (pun may or may not be intended) character then people wouldn't still care half as much, or notice when her personality is presented "wrong" in another medium. I thought her personality as presented in the film was fine. It's hard to create a brand new character for a long-existing franchise and not "Scrappy-Doo" 'em, but they pulled it off very well.

Contrasted with her "personality" on the Looney Tunes Show: Clingy, obsessive, bubble-headed, co-dependent pseudo-stalker. They're NOT the same character at all. If one version of a character most likely couldn't even stand to be around another version of (ostensibly) the same character, someone has messed up badly. Not only are they not the same character, they wouldn't even be friends. That's just terrible, lazy writing. It's clear to me that they wanted Bugs to have a "girlfriend" for the show with that specific, off-putting personality, but were afraid to come up with a new character since they knew everyone would ask "Where's Lola?" So they just threw out everything about Lola that was endearing and made her an empty vessel to pour a new personality into because it better fit the project.

To me, it begs the question of WHY they wanted Bugs to have a "girlfriend" he secretly could barely tolerate to begin with, but hey, I'm not Warner Bros. For all we know, if they'd left well enough alone that show might still be on the air. Probably not, but I know very few people genuinely LIKED the change, and wanted to see the character they already knew and liked rather well. So it's hard to imagine the reception would have been any worse.
--------

I kind of liked the "slice of life" stuff with that show, and after all, it's nothing new, but I generally prefer that it be in small doses. As others have said, I grew up on "Looney Tunes" shows that were about 6-minute wacky skits that were as batsh*t crazy as possible. The entire point was being off the wall and imaginative. Seeing Bugs going about mundane tasks such as paying bills and whatnot is fun sometimes, but also completely misses the point. Again, you can do it sometimes, and they always have, but I feel like making that the entire show's premise was a mistake. People want to see Wile E. try and fail to catch the Road Runner, to disastrous comedic effect and grievous self-injury; nobody wants to see them sitting around a Starbucks making idle chitchat. Not more than once in a blue moon, anyway. It's a mishandling of the characters. Not an "assassination", but it definitely doesn't use them to their fullest potential, either.

"Mundane" isn't something Looney Tunes should ever be, in my opinion. But again, it's been a long time since anyone truly cared, so they're at a loss as to how to engage a newer audience, so they try these things. I get it. And I don't envy them, either. But it shouldn't be a mystery why it doesn't ultimately work.
Yeah, Lola was more memorable in the Space Jam movie. The way she was written completely different in the Looney Tunes show reminds me of TMNT, since that's a property that likes to change characters' personalities radically in different versions. And we all know the problems that might arise from that, don't we?

Yeah, that's basically what i was trying to say, but you summed it up better. Looney Tunes' appeal was all the whacky stuff in it and defying the laws of physics. All of that served as escapism from real life troubles. I don't want to sit through an entire episode of Daffy Duck or Bugs Bunny talking about their jobs and how much their electricity bill costs. It felt like I was watching a poorman's version of Tiny Toon Adventures. And speaking of which, I wonder if Tiny Toon Adventures was also a way for Warner Bros. to try and make a new generation of characters for kids to grow up with so that then those characters would grow up and taker over the classic ones?

A remake would be flat-out bizarre. Even a sequel this many years later is a bit bizarre. :trazz:

The original was such a perfect storm, I'm not at all sure how a new one might do. But I can't see it succeeding at the same level. Lebron was never the "force" in the larger culture that Jordan was, and basketball isn't the phenomenon it was in 1996, either. It helped that it was a passable kids' movie, but there were so many other cultural factors in play that it's hard to imagine the new one having even half of the impact.

For one thing, I think they're aiming for an entirely different audience: The original was clearly aimed at kids, while this one is a Hipster Nostalgia piece. Nobody under 30 is likely to care a lot, because "Looney Tunes" doesn't mean anything to anyone younger than that anymore. An entire generation has come up not giving two sh*ts about Bugs Bunny, which is tragic but still the truth. The whole temperature is different. It's weird.

I'm curious to see what happens, because I do like the original just fine for what it is - I just objectively recognize that it simply isn't great outside of nostalgia - but I'll be very surprised if it does extremely well. It feels more than a little desperate, and times have changed.

No idea how famous Lebron is in comparison to Michael Jordan, but the NBA is pretty popular worldwide. BY FAR the most popualr American sport worldwide. It's that sport anyone has played at some point or another in their lives alongside soccer.

Baseball is only popular in a few countries outside of USA, most notably Japan and South Korea. American football is a big question mark all over the world. Pretty much only USA and Canada care about it. The odds of finding people into it outside of these 2 countries is as likely as finding an original Mirage TMNT comics fan, seriously.

So yeah, I'd say Lebron is quite well-known around the world. His name, a least. No idea if he's more well-known than MJ, but that's hard to assess.

I think the only "American sports league" that can come close to NBA's popularity worldwide is the WWE. A lot of people grow up watching it as kids and a lot of people all over the world know who Hulk Hogan, The Rock, John Cena, etc. are.

I think it’ll do fine. I’m guessing you don’t watch the NBA from one of your previous posts. I do. It’s the only sport I watch.

Lebron is definitely popular but does have a lot of naysayers too. Just different things. You would have had to watch the past 10 seasons or so understand.

There’s jokes going around about Bugs Bunny and characters getting traded.

Looney Tunes are not massively popular but they’re famous enough. I’m sure kids watch reruns of the classics and other versions that have come along.
I guess I'm getting old. I remember being a kid and absolutely loving Space Jam as did all of my classmates at the time as well. We also owned action figures form the toyline. Plus, we grew up watching Cartoon Network which aired a lot of old shows at the time, Looney Tunes included, and a lot of us liked them.

Also, there's been TONS of LT video games.

I guess Looney Tunes are just a product of its time and will just die off.

[Wildcat]

@Leo656, I personally do not think each version that has come along since has been a desperate attempt to revive the brand. I see them more as just usual updates that a lot of shows get. Different versions at different times.

For example Scooby Doo. That has more incarnations I think. It’s not desperate. It’s totally it’s formula now. Traditional dtv movies and different on going shows. There’s also supposedly more live action movies in the works too.

I’m sure WB would love for Looney Tunes be as popular as something like Pokémon but I don’t picture them struggling to keep them afloat. Pokémon is far newer than LT anyway.
——
@Prowler, Ya there’s a lot of video games. Not that recently anymore though. Not full console games. There’s some mobile games.

Why would Looney Tunes die off? They’re a brand. Even if it’s had slumps.

[Leo656]

You don't have to think it for it to be true. That Scooby-Doo example is a terrible thing to cite, as once again, it does a much better job at proving MY point versus yours. I haven't watched the new shows, but going by short clips of the various newer series alone... yikes. "Desperation" isn't the word.

I don't think I'm the first person to point out that a "reboot", "repackaging", or "reimagining" is, by very definition, an act of desperation. Because if what worked before was still working, they'd have no reason to change. Ideas aren't like bread; they don't grow mold just because they've been around a while. But when you're no longer getting people's attention, and you start losing money, THAT is when things like "New And Improved!" start getting thrown around. "Newer" is rarely "better"; it's just "newer" and that's that. Very few reboots or "updates" ever capture the larger imagination in the same way the originals did. Why not? Simple: They're not "better", just shinier. And once the shine wears off, people stop caring again.

People don't have to agree with that, but... it's true anyway. Facts are like air; they exist regardless of whether anyone believes in them.

As for the brand dying off, I doubt that, but I think it will continue to go the way of Mickey Mouse: Only relevant as a logo on a T-shirt, and some quaint cartoons from our grandparents' day. The brand will meander from one clumsy repackaging to the next, but the visual look of the characters is too ingrained in our culture to ever fade away completely. It will just continue to be irrelevant. But it will still exist. Sh*t, they still make Raggedy Anne and Andy dolls, and nobody's given a single sh*t about that stuff in like 50 years. Stuff like that doesn't ever go away completely; they just stop meaning anything aside from being a kitschy piece of nostalgia.

[Wildcat]

But there’s no realistic way Looney Tunes or Scooby could have remained the same from start to now.

I think Scooby is great example actually. Their traditional universe has managed to stick while still co-existing with whatever incarnation the tv series gets. That’s not “New and Improved” that’s staying relevant. Certainly more than LT.

I know some might think Scooby was just one of many HB cartoons from back in that era but it managed to be the most memorable and interesting.

How long is any incarnation of these cartoons supposed to last? That seems to depend more on the tone and time frame. Not a failed attempt or fizzling out.

What’s New? Mystery Inc, Be Cool and the next one exist for different reasons. Same with the different Looney Tunes shows that have gotten made.

[Leo656]

I think Scooby-Doo was always pretty bad in every incarnation, so I don't think it's a great example.

[ZariusTwo]

Scooby has potential. Mystery Inc, the last half of the Scrappy era etc, Pup, the first four DTV movies, but it's biggest setback is the very formula that made it famous. Oh, and Daphne/Fred. F*ck that.

[Skinrash]

TMy point is, you can bet your bottom dollar that WB execs CAN'T STAND the fact that more kids today know Pikachu than Bugs Bunny, and they'd do anything to change that fact. I empathize with them, sincerely. I personally can't stand it either.

Didn't Kids' WB! air Pokemon back in the day and help make it popular? They even canceled some Looney Tunes shows(Sylvester & Tweety mysteries I think) to focus more on that property I think. They must be regretting that now.

[Leo656]

I'unno, I've never paid Pokemon any attention in my life.

[Prowler]

I think Scooby-Doo was always pretty bad in every incarnation, so I don't think it's a great example.

I haven't watched Scooby-Doo since like 2001, so I am not really qualified to say if it's good or bad, since I was too young to have high standards yet, but the only episode I remember quite well after all these years is the crossover one with Johnny Bravo which was made in like 1999-2000, and that's because I loved Johnny Bravo. So I guess this says it all.

Also, I couldn't stand Scrappy even back then. :lol:

I'unno, I've never paid Pokemon any attention in my life.

Tbh, Pokémon has been heavily localised/Americanised outside of Japan. Most of the world knows Satoshi as Ash Krtchum, Takeshi as Brock, Kasumi as Misty and most of the Pokémon names have been translated to English. I know the Germans and the French have made their own translations of several of the Pokémon's names, but those names are only known in French and German speaking countries.

So yeah, at this point I dunno if the general audience views Pokémon as a Japanese thing per se any more. Just like DBZ is an anime that's loved worldwide even by people who don't care about "those chinese toons". I remember this convo I had with a guy some years ago where I said I didn't care much for DBZ and he was like "wtf is your problem, kid? You don't like Dragon Ball?!", and some minutes later someone else at the table mentioned Naruto and the guy dismissed it with "Meh that's Chinese, who cares". I felt like saying "dude, this DBZ show you love is "Chinese" as well :lol:" but I figured it would have been pointless to tell him that, for some reason.

People are strange.

[ranger_scout]

Sonequa Martin-Green has been cast as Lebron's wife in the film.

https://deadline.com/2019/03/space-jam-2-sonequa-martin-green-lebron-james-warner-bros-1202583878/

However, LeBron is apparently having a difficult time recruiting NBA players for this movie.

https://movieweb.com/space-jam-2-cast-no-nba-players/

[The Deadman]

Reports: 'Space Jam 2' cast to include AD, CP3
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27012396/space-jam-2-cast-include-ad-cp3

[ranger_scout]

Don Cheadle has landed a part in the film.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/don-cheadle-joins-lebron-james-space-jam-2-1223943

[ZariusTwo]

The movie has lost it's original director over creative differences. Malcom D Lee has taken over

https://deadline.com/2019/07/space-jam-2-malcolm-d-lee-directing-lebron-james-sequel-looney-tunes-1202646887/

[ranger_scout]

The movie has lost it's original director over creative differences. Malcom D Lee has taken over

https://deadline.com/2019/07/space-jam-2-malcolm-d-lee-directing-lebron-james-sequel-looney-tunes-1202646887/

That's not a good sign for something like that to happen during production. The similar drama that Solo: A Stars Wars Movie went through wasn't good for the film leading up to its release. Men in Black International had those kinds of problems as well.

[ranger_scout]

The film will be titled Space Jam: A New Legacy.

https://deadline.com/2020/04/space-jam-a-new-legacy-lebron-james-1202922986/

[Leofan26]

Oh, its still being worked on, that's nice. Wonder how long this film is into? It must take a lot of work getting live action mixed with animation.

[ZariusTwo]

First look at the animation and roster in this announcement for an X-Box Arcade Design Competition.

DBGKJV6E_QQ

[oldmanwinters]

I'm up to see this!

I actually bought the Playstation version of the original Space Jam video game a couple of months ago. It's an adequate NBA Jam hack with a lot less replay value.

[Sumac]

Animation itself is good, but models look kinda stiff, like in flash cartoons. Dunno how to explain it. At least they don't look like blob freaks, so that's a something.

[TigerClaw]

Eric Bauza posted a little teaser of the Space Jam sequel on his Twitter.
https://twitter.com/bauzilla/status/1350519684915818496

[ZariusTwo]

Blink and you'll miss that Space Ghost cameos in the movie

[TigerClaw]

The Footage came from this video HBO Max posted about the upcoming movies.

47BqcevQhTE

[Wildcat]

It looks really cool. I mean visually. Aside from all the characters.

I hope it looks like this throughout and it’s not just one of the dimensions they’re in. Although they’ll probably jump into a 2D land now that I think of it.

[Leo656]

Hopefully Lola is "The Real Lola" and not that imposter they had running around in the new animated series.

Bonus Points if they get Kath Soucie to come back. But for some reason I have my doubts about that one. She doesn't seem to be doing a lot these days.

[Wildcat]

Yes she’s the same. She’s briefly seen in that game tie in from the other video.

https://i.postimg.cc/Dmkg9pFv/E049-ED83-36-C3-41-A7-AE47-F5-D06-D4-B4-F98.jpg

I never thought they’d use Looney Tunes Show Lola when it was obviously a separate version. Plus Space Jam is where she originated.

[Leo656]

Visuals are one thing, I'm hoping they keep her personality consistent. Which they probably will, I'm just saying.

Like the one from the cartoon show was... eh, kind of entertaining in her own way but I wish it were an entirely different character and not "Lola". It was irritating. Like if you're going to change someone's entire personality that much, just call them something else.

My wife and I were all excited when we heard they were gonna have Lola in the show, then we watched it and it was like "...Oh. Huh." Like we laughed at the stuff we were supposed to laugh at but we also sighed a lot, like "Why did they have to do THIS, specifically?"

It'd be like if someone brought Princess Sally into a newer Sonic project and had her be a bubblehead or a nitwit. That's not the same character, then! Don't do that!

But yeah, they'll probably have her be consistent with the first movie. One could hope.

[Wildcat]

Ever seen a Rabbits Run? It uses the The Show designs but it’s clearly it’s own thing. Her character is portrayed better. She does not stalk Bugs (they meet by chance) and the humor is very fitting. It’s really a well put together movie/special.

[Leo656]

Nah, I think I missed that one.

[ZariusTwo]

https://twitter.com/SkylerShuler/status/1367507276198674432

[TigerClaw]

Check out Bugs Bunny's new look. He no longer looks cell shaded. They give him realistic fur texture.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EvqqIXtXYAEgjcJ?format=jpg&name=small

[Sumac]

Not really sure if I dig it.
The whole gimmick of the movie was about interaction between cartoon characters and real people and this kind of defeats the point.

[Wildcat]

Of course I love when they turn characters “real” with texture and details. He looks awesome and so does Lola :D This makes me very happy but I’m pretty sure they’re not gonna look like that the whole movie.

If you notice in the pics they’re in a real world setting with other humans and Bugs is looking at himself shocked. I’m guessing this is just one VR place they visit. I hope they spend a good amount of time in whatever these scenes are.

[Shark_Blade]

I love the cgi look, kinda like Sonic’s.

People are complaining that Lola is no longer a sexy bunny lol.
https://twitter.com/ultraweedhater/status/1367627150367608843?s=21

[Wildcat]

I saw that and a different one awhile back. Those examples are not official shots. They’re fan drawings.

All they did was give her a full jersey. That’s it. They probably toned down her “playful sexiness” from the original but that’s fine. She looks the same.

[Leo656]

Sheeeeiiit, she better be hot, I'mma yell at somebody.

[CyberCubed]

Yeah people posting fanart of how "sexy" she was are arguing in bad faith. She didn't look like that in the original movie. I feel like furries exaggerate her because they get off to her, but her modern character design is much better.

Besides if your looking up porn of a cartoon rabbit, you have bigger things to worry about.

[Leo656]

Since we're on the topic of kink-shaming people, I feel "randomly" compelled to ask: You still writing fanfic, or...? :lol::lol::lol:

[CyberCubed]

Not for 20+ years.

But I can never understand people drawing stuff of cartoon animals. Of humans, sure, there's tons of animated porn for humans, but animals/beasts is where I draw the line.

[sdp]

Can you imagine 30 somethings complaining in the 90s that Space Jam was ruining Looney Tunes with all the XTREME version of them and how Lola Bunny was sexifying an innocent cartoon and that #notmybugsbunny? :lol:

[Leo656]

I think people in the 90s already had their hands full trying to understand why all the Loony Tunes merch (even before and completely independent of Space Jam's existence) insisted on depicting the characters as "gangsta". Like seriously, you couldn't buy a Bugs Bunny shirt for the entire 1990s unless he was dressed like Flava Flav. It was weird.

So yeah, sexed-up cartoon rabbits weren't first or even third on their list of "WTF is happening and how did we get here?" questions, by my recollection.

[sdp]

:lol: I'm guessing those were unofficial shirts but I guess it worked? Wasn't the 90s the last time the classic Looney Tunes cartoons had reruns and were relatively popular? They've tried since then to no avail.
https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/images2/1/1113/06/vtg-90s-looney-tunes-bugs-bunny-taz_1_ec24060d63763e3858458dc94cf3f8e0.jpg

[Leo656]

The reruns are on TV every single day, they've never been off TV.

"Popular", I don't know, I never bother paying attention to what Is or Isn't since it doesn't affect me personally.

[Coola Yagami]

I think people in the 90s already had their hands full trying to understand why all the Loony Tunes merch (even before and completely independent of Space Jam's existence) insisted on depicting the characters as "gangsta". Like seriously, you couldn't buy a Bugs Bunny shirt for the entire 1990s unless he was dressed like Flava Flav. It was weird.

So yeah, sexed-up cartoon rabbits weren't first or even third on their list of "WTF is happening and how did we get here?" questions, by my recollection.

I kinda see what the fuss is about. While one can argue wether or not Lola should have had boobs to begin with, it seems SJ2 Lola fell under the 'boobs are bad' narrative and is now flat as a board.

It's not like Lola had Jessica Rabbit tits, she just has boobs. To completely remove them falls under this weird thing where characters like Jill Valentine and Tifa Lockhart get their tits scaled back or in Lola's case, completely removed cause 'boobs are bad' m'kay'.

[AquaParade]

Lola was hot back in the day. I was just the right age and had a crush on her. I mean, of course I did. They made her sexy.

[Coola Yagami]

Lola was hot back in the day. I was just the right age and had a crush on her. I mean, of course I did. They made her sexy.

Back then as a kid, seeing it in theaters, I'd def hit that.

Now as an adult, I'd have a lot more questions about the logic of random cartoon rabbit woman appearing in my house wanting to screw but eh... I'll probably ask her afterwards.


There's an unwritten rule that if cartoon women appear in your house and want to ****, you say yes and do it. This is based on the 1/1000th chance of anything like that ever happening that you might as well shrug your shoulders and go for it.

This is assuming you're not tripping on acid or whatever.

[Allio]

Not for 20+ years.

But I can never understand people drawing stuff of cartoon animals. Of humans, sure, there's tons of animated porn for humans, but animals/beasts is where I draw the line.

I ain’t got enough crayons or construction paper to explain monster-girl to you

[Leo656]

Lola was hot back in the day. I was just the right age and had a crush on her. I mean, of course I did. They made her sexy.

I remember one of the Making-Ofs where they were pretty honest about the whole thing. "Something for the Dads," etc. etc.

It's weird how nobody batted an eye back then but now it's "creepy and problematic." You'd think that the internet would have normalized such things rather than make them more taboo. It's odd.

[Coola Yagami]

I remember one of the Making-Ofs where they were pretty honest about the whole thing. "Something for the Dads," etc. etc.

It's weird how nobody batted an eye back then but now it's "creepy and problematic." You'd think that the internet would have normalized such things rather than make them more taboo. It's odd.

And here I am surprised you didn't quote my post to add more fuel to the Lola fire, lmao.

[Leo656]

Didn't have much to add. :lol:

What I honestly do have a problem with, in all seriousness, is that both this and the Netflix She-Ra reboot made it a point to stress, "we want to have a thick divide between Strength and Sexiness with regard to female characters."

Like now apparently the official media message is, "You can be Strong, or you can be Sexy, but not both of those things, that's problematic." And like... why? That's regression. We spent decades with characters like Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Xena and the original She-Ra - and yes, even Lola Bunny - illustrating that it really doesn't have to be one or the other. I really do feel like that was the best overall positive message to put out. I never felt like it made anyone who wasn't sexy feel like they couldn't be strong, just that a woman really could "have it all". That's aspirational.

Like I can't understand why there's suddenly this big war on female characters looking sexy. It's happening more and more often and I don't like or understand it. It feels like regression, not evolution.

[ZariusTwo]

Lola is a part of Wonder Woman lore, as she's been living on Themyscria



https://io9.gizmodo.com/space-jam-2-has-relocated-lola-bunny-to-wonder-womans-t-1846416072

[Coola Yagami]

Didn't have much to add. :lol:

What I honestly do have a problem with, in all seriousness, is that both this and the Netflix She-Ra reboot made it a point to stress, "we want to have a thick divide between Strength and Sexiness with regard to female characters."

Like now apparently the official media message is, "You can be Strong, or you can be Sexy, but not both of those things, that's problematic." And like... why? That's regression. We spent decades with characters like Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Xena and the original She-Ra - and yes, even Lola Bunny - illustrating that it really doesn't have to be one or the other. I really do feel like that was the best overall positive message to put out. I never felt like it made anyone who wasn't sexy feel like they couldn't be strong, just that a woman really could "have it all". That's aspirational.

Like I can't understand why there's suddenly this big war on female characters looking sexy. It's happening more and more often and I don't like or understand it. It feels like regression, not evolution.

Women have been fighting to jump out of the 'if you're hot, you're dumb as a box of rocks', and while I agree some Twitch girls and Instagram girls prove that, the media really wants to push the message that strong competent women can't be hot. They also kinda wanna push the message that men are supposed to choose these more masculine women over actual hot ones.

All this talk of patriarchy and it's really women holding other women down.

[Sumac]

Lola is a part of Wonder Woman lore, as she's been living on Themyscria



https://io9.gizmodo.com/space-jam-2-has-relocated-lola-bunny-to-wonder-womans-t-1846416072
As random as Space Jam concept is, this is, probably, even more random.

[Prowler]

I'll always love the original Space Jam. That movie was a big part of my childhood and I must have watched it about 25 times.

I'm not interested in Space Jam 2. A sequel coming out for Space Jam 25+ years after doesn't excite me.

Didn't have much to add. :lol:
What I honestly do have a problem with, in all seriousness, is that both this and the Netflix She-Ra reboot made it a point to stress, "we want to have a thick divide between Strength and Sexiness with regard to female characters."

Like now apparently the official media message is, "You can be Strong, or you can be Sexy, but not both of those things, that's problematic." And like... why? That's regression. We spent decades with characters like Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Xena and the original She-Ra - and yes, even Lola Bunny - illustrating that it really doesn't have to be one or the other. I really do feel like that was the best overall positive message to put out. I never felt like it made anyone who wasn't sexy feel like they couldn't be strong, just that a woman really could "have it all". That's aspirational.

Like I can't understand why there's suddenly this big war on female characters looking sexy. It's happening more and more often and I don't like or understand it. It feels like regression, not evolution.

That's why anime and Japanese videogames are still worth it. They know that female characters can be both strong and sexy. Chun-Li, Cammy, Motoko Kusanagi, Nico Robin, Boa Hancock, Nami, Revy, etc.

[Last Ronin]

They did my girl Lola Bunny wrong.

[Wildcat]

They talk about desexualizing her but it’s mostly just giving her a full jersey and a more important role in the story it seems.

It sounds like we’ll get to see her even more which is great. Especially if they spend a lot of time in live action form. I’m still not sure they’ll be “realistic” the whole movie.

[Leo656]

They also removed anything even resembling a curved line from her entire body structure. She's drawn entirely different except for her head. Everyone mentions her breast area, but she also no longer has any hips or any muscle tone in her legs, whereas she was drawn quite curvy and muscular before.

Now she just looked like a recolored Bugs.

[Andrew NDB]

They talk about desexualizing her but it’s mostly just giving her a full jersey and a more important role in the story it seems.

It sounds like we’ll get to see her even more which is great.

I don't see what one has to do with the other, at all.

Imagine if Jessica Rabbit was given a much bigger role in Roger Rabbit 2, a fantastic arc and non-sultry clothing... but at the same time they completely made her figure and boobs pretty clearly asexual. Is this really a "win"? If we were to gender flip it... think, we finally get "The Incredible Hulk 2" but it's just Mark Ruffalo in green makeup and he wasn't asked to workout at all. What is that, really?

I promise you I'm not someone who wanks over animated anything, ever, but it's weird. And in the past I've seen impassioned articles from ladies who say they grew up with huge breasts and had embarrassing childhoods, who see Disney or this or that CGI away that stuff in even live action shows from characters they identified with for that reason and this makes them rather sad.

[sdp]

Closet furries.

[Coola Yagami]

They also removed anything even resembling a curved line from her entire body structure. She's drawn entirely different except for her head. Everyone mentions her breast area, but she also no longer has any hips or any muscle tone in her legs, whereas she was drawn quite curvy and muscular before.

Now she just looked like a recolored Bugs.

It's not just that, Lola just had this sexy demeanor. She had a sultry voice, they made her sway her hips when she walks, literally everyone stopped what they were doing and stared as she entered the room.

Ain't gonna have none of that in the sequel, pretty sure of it. I bet they'll drop the 'dont call me doll' thing too.

[Wildcat]

I’m sure they toned down or did away with her sexy demeanor...acting sultry, Bugs swooning over her etc. Who knows maybe she’ll have some moments.

As for the design I really think it’s just the jersey. There’s no midriff, her shorts are longer and they gave her those black sleeves some players use.

I’ve seen others say she has no curves or even knees but the jersey is clearly how they covered her figure. She never had a huge chest either.

That EW pic is 1 pose. I had the notebook leak but deleted it since higher quality images were on the way and the trailer should be soon. All I could find was this.

https://i.postimg.cc/BnnkG4Bz/B3-AA2032-6532-47-BC-9474-F66679-D50043.jpg

This is really stupid. What’s the big deal about some leaked finalized artwork? These don’t need removal. The best example so far is the cgi high five shot. I kept that and will screen grab the trailer. :D

Now I’ll admit I wish they had kept her original jersey. I mean the same style in the new blue/orange. Still I think she looks good.

[ZariusTwo]

Pepe Le Pew had a role in the movie, but it's been cut


https://deadline.com/2021/03/pepe-le-pew-space-jam-2-new-york-times-rape-culture-controversy-1234708688/

[Leo656]

Yeah, I read about that. "Promoting rape culture." :lol: Gimme a goddamn break. :roll: These idiots aren't gonna be happy until there's nothing left.

Come to think of it, I don't think I see very much of Pepe when I catch the old Loony Tunes repeats either. I guess that character has been "retired".

Everything's "problematic", everything is "____-ist", and everything needs fixing.

Stupid.

[sdp]

NMhYy53Rd6Y

[Sumac]

Pepe Le Pew had a role in the movie, but it's been cut


https://deadline.com/2021/03/pepe-le-pew-space-jam-2-new-york-times-rape-culture-controversy-1234708688/
Well, I would not argue that he comes of as a creep, but its all done in a humorous manner. So it depends whether or not you think someone can make jokes and portray harassment / obsessive stalker as a joke.

I personally think that there should not be forbidden themes for jokes, but in this rare case I can sympathize with SJW scum logic. There is a such stereotype like "chivalrous pervert", but Pepe, from what I've seen, is played as straight out stalker / harasser.

[Coola Yagami]

Well, I would not argue that he comes of as a creep, but its all done in a humorous manner. So it depends whether or not you think someone can make jokes and portray harassment / obsessive stalker as a joke.

I personally think that there should not be forbidden themes for jokes, but in this rare case I can sympathize with SJW scum logic. There is a such stereotype like "chivalrous pervert", but Pepe, from what I've seen, is played as straight out stalker / harasser.

I feel it works because he's not rewarded. He's the one taking all the pratfalls, the woman in question is never portrayed as 'awww she doesn't give him a chance', like she has valid reason to run away.

IDK, if there's some way to do this 'right', Pepe did it right. It was never glorified, he was seen as the 'bad guy'.

[ZariusTwo]

I feel it works because he's not rewarded. He's the one taking all the pratfalls, the woman in question is never portrayed as 'awww she doesn't give him a chance', like she has valid reason to run away.

Let's not remind anyone of the rare occasions Penelope wound up stalking him whenever he smelled better...

[oldmanwinters]

Pepe usually receives his comeuppance at the end of every short when the femme-cat finally gets fed up and fights back. And even then he kinda... doesn't mind so much? Eh, it's still good comedy.

The smart thing for WB to do would be for them to write him a little differently than he was in the 1940s. Wouldn't be that hard.

[Jester]

The actress who played opposite Pepe is a bit miffed her scene was cut:
Upon learning that her scene with Pepe was cut, [Greice] Santo was upset according to her spokesperson. The actress-singer has been a victim of sexual harassment and has spoken out against it; even recording a debut single “Você Você” back in February 2018 with multi- Grammy-winning producer Humberto Gatica to empower women to stand up to sexual predators and sexual harassment. Santo even has a non-profit, Glam with Greice, which aims to empower victims of domestic violence to change their lives for the better. Santo took joy in shooting the Space Jam sequel scene with Pepe, because the skunk finally gets his comeuppance.

A spokesperson for Santo tells Deadline today, “This was such a big deal for Greice to be in this movie. Even though Pepe is a cartoon character, if anyone was going to slap a sexual harasser like him, Greice wished it would be her. Now the scene is cut, and she doesn’t have that power to influence the world through younger generations who’ll be watching Space Jam 2, to let younger girls and younger boys know that Pepe’s behavior is unacceptable.”

[Last Ronin]

Goodbye Pepe you sex crazed lobster.

[Powder]

The actress who played opposite Pepe is a bit miffed her scene was cut:

They never consider the other perspective. The biggest problem with censoring content deemed "problematic" is that you eventually reach a point where you no longer have an example of what not to do, & then people start doing it, having no clue what harm it can cause. Good cannot exist without evil, you need the balance, you need the point of reference.

[oldmanwinters]

They never consider the other perspective. The biggest problem with censoring content deemed "problematic" is that you eventually reach a point where you no longer have an example of what not to do, & then people start doing it, having no clue what harm it can cause. Good cannot exist without evil, you need the balance, you need the point of reference.

So true. I learned so much from the more eccentric characters on The Office. Probably helped me survive and advance in my own professional career.

[Papenbrook]

I'm glad that they've toned down Lola Bunny. It was inappropriate then , and it would be inappropriate now. Especially in a franchise that is primarily targeted towards children/youth, they need to set an example.

Though, I wish that they had taken more inspiration from her concept art.



https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ev0ld6cVgAAhM3D.jpg (https://looneytunes.fandom.com/wiki/Lola_Bunny/Gallery)




I'm also glad that they've gotten rid of Pepe Le Pew. His appearance was never needed.

I hope that he will be banned forever.


I'm just thankful that the director actually considered how women/girls would've felt.

[Sumac]

I'm glad that they've toned down Lola Bunny. It was inappropriate then , and it would be inappropriate now. Especially in a franchise that is primarily targeted towards children/youth, they need to set an example.
So, how do you feel about "sex work"? Do you think its acceptable and causes less harm to women, than seductive cartoon bunny?

I'm also glad that they've gotten rid of Pepe Le Pew. His appearance was never needed.

I hope that he will be banned forever.

I'm just thankful that the director actually considered how women/girls would've felt.
Yeah, I forgot that all women and girls are fragile snowflakes who will break down, if they see pervert cartoonish skunk.

[GoldMutant]

I had this conversation on "Cancel Culture" last night regarding Pepe.

Honestly, he's one of my least favorite characters from Looney Tunes. Personally find him one-note compared to the others. At the same time, I question if people have seen all his shorts, or generalizing him.

As others have pointed out, the point of Pepe is ironic: he's confident but something prevents Pepe from getting a victory. He stinks, literally and figuratively. It's like Johnny Bravo: both are overtly confident, but something gets in their way. Usually, it's overconfidence, but it varies.

However, didn't Pepe occasionally get stalked by Penelope Pussycat? You know, the one he's pursued and who still has a role possibly in the movie? I'm with Powder on this: you can't do a simple black-and-white situation like that. You miss the point of the satire/slapstick as a result.

Oh, and by the way....

...in a franchise that is primarily targeted towards children/youth, they need to set an example.

...Looney Tunes is accessible for all ages, not primarily children. They'll latch on for the wacky comedy and, later, the characters over time. Older audiences enjoy it for those same reasons, but also because several of the Looney Tunes are relatable. That, and the clever writing/storytelling to boot.

It is this point-of-view that ruins several franchises. We know things are dated; standards of today differ from, say, the 1930s. It is up to the creators if they feel the material should be removed. (ex: Dr. Suess' family/team) Otherwise, the overtly sterilizing product doesn't allow for boundaries to be broken. It's doable, but the point gets lost.
_______________________________

Back to Space Jam. The original is a product of its time.

For this, I'm unsure how to feel about it still. I think using video games is a smart choice, but is LeBron James still relevant today?

Probably just need some time getting used to it. Hoping Michael Jordan makes a cameo, if possible.

[ZariusTwo]

I'm just thankful that the director actually considered how women/girls would've felt.

You haven't seen the Pepe shorts where Penelope totally wants his d*ck and scared him s*itless have you Helen Lovejoy?

I can't imagine what you would have thought of Fifi and Furball in Tiny Toon Adventures.

[Coola Yagami]

I'm also glad that they've gotten rid of Pepe Le Pew. His appearance was never needed.

I hope that he will be banned forever.


I'm just thankful that the director actually considered how women/girls would've felt.

Actually some girls grew up watching Pepe and learned it's ok to not want a man's affections, it's ok to say no, hence the cat always running away.

You must have never seen the cartoons but let me refresh your memory.

First of all, Pepe's affections are never glorified. He's the one taking all the slapstick and all the L's in his shorts. It's never been portrayed as he's in the right and she's in the wrong.

Second, in some episodes the cat actually likes Pepe at first, before the skunk odor flows her way, then she starts running. It's a cartoon. The odor is always portrayed as this smoke of sorts and even though it should be apparent right way, usually the characters can't smell it until the smoke actually flies near their nostrils.

Third, in the times that Pepe had something happen in which the odor was temporarily removed, the cat goes apeshit and acts just as clingy to him as he did to her and it freaks him out. "Cherie, control yourself!'

Basically speaking, Pepe and Johnny Bravo are similar in the way that they're overconfident, oblivious to how women perceive them, but most all, they're all talk. I know they're cartoons and all that, but it's obviously both of them have never had a woman, and for all their pursuits and attempts, it's clear neither would know what to do with a woman if she actually returned their affections.

So no there's nothing wrong with Pepe. He's just a funny character as are the rest of the Looney Tunes. Anyone who has a problem with him are obviously only watching the first 2 minutes of the short and never actually see how it ends.

Plus, you can just change him up. Later incarnations of the character has tones down the amorous side and has just kept the snooty French gimmick. Plus he was supposed to get his comeuppance in Space Jam 2 (which again, would have been a good lesson for girls) but most of these people always miss the point of everything and would rather cut out the scene altogether than have a chance to teach girls no means no. Idiots. Plain and simple.

[Coola Yagami]

You haven't seen the Pepe shorts where Penelope totally wants his d*ck and scared him s*itless have you Helen Lovejoy?

I can't imagine what you would have thought of Fifi and Furball in Tiny Toon Adventures.

Now that I mention it, Fifi is worse, cause unlike Pepe, she never gets any kind of comeuppance at all. I assume cause she's a woman so they take it easy on her with the slapstick, but she never gets 'what's coming to her' the way Pepe usually does.

I think in a way, Fifi works because it can also teach boys that they don't always have to say yes when a girl goes crazy over them. Most of everything in the world teaches you 'you're not a man' if you're not already dropping your pants the moment a woman tells you she wants you, it's good to see a female example of the guy also saying 'no means no'.

I mean it's subtle, but the message is there. It's more than being a skunk. Furball and the rest DO. NOT. WANT. HER. If they did, they woulda just put in some nose plugs and have it.

[Coola Yagami]

Ugh... just heard the news that the original scene was supposed to be Pepe working at a bar when he hits on and tries to kiss the arm of a real life actress. The actress then slaps him so hard the bar stool is spinning and spills her drink on him. This is apparently when LeBron and Bugs come in and Pepe tells them whenever Lola is to be found but also mentions the cat files a restraining order on him.


Kinda glad that entire scene got cut actually. It misses the point entirely of the character. Not to mention, Pepe only seemed crazy about what he thought was female skunks. And like previously mentioned, the cat actually wanted him on occasions.

I would have preferred some kind of joke where they got married and had kids and he's all broken down and exhausted and said some kind of joke like 'sacre bleu, I tink I prefer it when mon cherie was, 'how you say'... playing hard to get?'

idk.. the original scene reeks too much of 'take that toxic male'. Like I bet the blue-haired female extras were fighting backstage over who got to slap him in that one scene.

[Leo656]

Fifi was the first thing I thought of when the thing about Pepe came out.

"It's only 'toxic' if a guy does it, when women do it it's adorable." People are f*cking stupid.

[ZariusTwo]

Helga Pataki from Hey Arnold is revered as one of the best developed and complex female characters in all of animation, but my god if you caught that show in it's prime (or even watched the recent Jungle Movie), and realised the backlash if she were an actual guy...:o

[Vicky82]

Here's the trailer

olXYZOsXw_o

[ZariusTwo]

Not a fan of them upgrading to CGI for the last act.

[Coola Yagami]

Here's the trailer

olXYZOsXw_o

eh.... idk.... Feels like Ready Player One part 2 except a huge focus is on Looney Tune World (similar to how Wreck-It Ralph took most of its time in Candy Crush or whatever that world was).

The first movie was just wild silly 'who cares if it made sense or not' fun. This one is just trying waaaaaaaaay too hard to logically explain how people can meet the Looney Tunes and whatnot. So.... did they bring cartoon characters to the real world in the third act?

Is April O'Neil finally gonna knock on my door?

[CyberCubed]

Kinda baffled people made a big thing out of Lola Bunny's redesign when she looks fine in the movie. And like I wouldn't even have noticed it if I just watched the trailer. Furries have really corrupted the internet.

[Coola Yagami]

Kinda baffled people made a big thing out of Lola Bunny's redesign when she looks fine in the movie. And like I wouldn't even have noticed it if I just watched the trailer. Furries have really corrupted the internet.

All about those bunny boobies.

[ZariusTwo]

Zendaya is voicing Lola

https://ew.com/genre/movies/zendaya-space-jam-new-legacy-lola-bunny/

[Autbot_Benz]

Zendaya is voicing Lola

https://ew.com/genre/movies/zendaya-space-jam-new-legacy-lola-bunny/

So they couldn't or didn't bother to get kath soucie back to voice her again? I hate hollywood's trend of replacing established voice actors with the celeb of the week.

[sdp]

Meh, i give them props for not rehashing the original movie with LeBron James and instead try something new.

[ZariusTwo]

Meh, i give them props for not rehashing the original movie with LeBron James and instead try something new.

What's new about it?

Wreck It Ralph and Lego Batman Movie did all of this already

[Coola Yagami]

So they couldn't or didn't bother to get kath soucie back to voice her again? I hate hollywood's trend of replacing established voice actors with the celeb of the week.

Probably the excuse of 'best person for the job' while not even asking Kaith or not bothering to interview any white women.

[Andrew NDB]

So... no Pepe Le Peu because he's "problematic"... but it's OK to have the actual rape gangs from "A Clockwork Orange" at 2:24? The old "in out, in out"?

[Leo656]

I think this thing makes the original look like Citizen Kane.

[Leofan26]

So they couldn't or didn't bother to get kath soucie back to voice her again? I hate hollywood's trend of replacing established voice actors with the celeb of the week.
Sadly that happens all the time with voice actors. Velma from Scooby Doo has gotten her VA replaced twice without being told till finding out on the internet like us, they deserve way more respect than that. I liked the original VA for Lola so that's a shame.

I do hope the first half is spent in the 2D world while the climax is in 3D. Since they likely won't be fighting till the ending like the previous film I wonder what will fill in the blanks? Spoilers say the gang had a fight and split to different planets, shame we can't just focous on that and Bugs fixing everything instead while they play basketball without any celebrity involved. They could focous on Bugs / Daffy's friendship and Lola / Bugs I guess while searching for the others. Oh well, still looking forward to it. At least we get to see the original Space Jam designs in this film instead of the new ones we have, I get that they are trying to bring them back to the classic look but I prefer this version.

[Wildcat]

Lola already had other voices which the article mentions. Saying they snubbed her is a big assumption.

I’ve never seen Clockwork Orange but we could argue against Pennywise too. It’s just funny how we view killer monsters under a different light. Myself included.

Anyway it looks really cool. Of course I love the detailed cgi but it’s obviously a mix of 2D/3D. Lola looks great. I don’t care what anyone says.

The Goon Squad are NBA and WNBA players. In case some think they just made generic villains. They’re based on nicknames which is pretty cool.

Klay Thompson and Steph Curry are known as the Splash Bros. for making a lot of 3 pointers. That’s why he’s made of water.

Damian Lillard created the phrase DameTime (Gametime) and seems to be a clock robot.

Diana Taurasi was nicknamed White Mamba by Kobe Bryant and she’s a snake.

Anthony Davis is known as The Brow for his unibrow. He’s a bird. Not sure how they decided on this one. It’s bird-like I guess. :lol:

I don’t know about the Spider or Fire players.

[Andrew NDB]

I’ve never seen Clockwork Orange but we could argue against Pennywise too. It’s just funny how we view killer monsters under a different light. Myself included.

And while a mass murderer SHOULD be worse than a mass rapist, rape is generally seen as much worse in terms of content in entertainment media lately. I don't agree with that, but it's true. And in "A Clockwork Orange" they literally go around just raping women every night, left and right.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

Lola already had other voices which the article mentions. Saying they snubbed her is a big assumption.

Considering they were able to get VAs like Jeff Bergman, Eric Bauza, and Candi Milo, I don't see why they couldn't get Kath Soucie to reprise her role. Though Kristen Wiig did a great job at her own take of Lola for The Looney Tunes Show and I say this as someone who's not a huge fan of her as an actress. The show itself was already good but Lola's easily one of the best parts.:lol:

I can't say that I'm feeling this so far which is a shame because I really enjoyed the original even if it's not objectively good. Not sure how I feel about the Looney Tunes becoming CGI in the human world but I'm more so baffled at why they chose to 'toon up' LeBron in their world.

[Leo656]

Like, I do still like the original. Would I still like it anyway, if I hadn't seen it for the very first time when I was 13? Is it objectively any good removed from all nostalgia and whimsy? I honestly don't know, maybe not. At the very least, I think it's an okay kids' movie. This one might be, also.

But objectively, as an adult as well as someone who is very scrutinizing of movies in general, there are things about this one that seem worse. It feels more crass, cynical and "corporate" than the original did, and that's saying something considering the original basically only exists because of a joke taken way too far. The bit we've read about with Lola living with the Amazons on Themiscyra, that's kinda dumb but it's also, kind of, a nice wink. "Okay, WB owns that, I get it... kinda cute." But they're legit going all "Ready Player One" and just jacking themselves off with "LOOK at all the cool things we own, you guys!" and that just seems really, really stupid. Like the entire premise, a joke taken way too far. "Space Jam" was already only half a movie, half a commercial for WB, specifically the Looney Tunes. This feels like JUST a commercial for WB, as well as them as a company trying to show off how "hip" they are... by jumping on the Nostalgia Reboot Train after people have already moved on to the next thing, no less.

I don't know. My wife will inevitably make me watch it with her, but I can't say I'm looking forward to it at all. The first one is barely even a "real" movie on its own, and I've never for a moment thought a second one was even necessary.

It will probably be a "serviceable" kids' movie, but if I actually like it I'll be pretty surprised. Just like I can't tell how I'd feel about the original one if I'd seen it for the very first time today, I have no way of telling how 13-year old me would feel about the sequel. Me Right Now thinks it all looks pretty dumb, that's all I know for sure.

[Andrew NDB]

I don't have any plans to see the movie, largely because I never saw part 1. But even if I had and did... I definitely wouldn't support it based on the "decisions" I see being made by the corporate people behind it making the calls.

But as an outsider, this seems like an anomaly. Like, who is it for? There presently isn't really any audience for "Looney Tunes" characters that fits into any super lucrative demographic anymore. Even the NBA isn't quite the rage today as it was when "Space Jam" came out, what with Jordan being everywhere and on everything. So one would have to assume this would just be a love letter to fans who remember Looney Tunes, right? Or by extension, let's hope those fans take their kids to see this one, yeah?

And that's where the bottom falls out. Dole out boob reductions for animated characters, carve out beloved "problematic" Looney Tunes characters entirely (ones apparently already shot and in the movie?), recast preexisting voice actors for seemingly only reasons that we can already guess without having to say? The people they are trying to not offend and/or placate, by my reckoning, are literally the only people who would ever bother seeing this movie. It's just a very weird mindset, on the higher ups. I think there's a big "let's just pump out trailers and hope they're not all geeks and up on what we're actually doing, and just vaguely remember 'Space Jam'" thing going on, but I don't think it's going to pay off. The people who remember "Space Jam" are either going to go, "Hey cool!" and largely not even bother seeing it, or are going to hate it. Largely.

[Wildcat]

First and again Lola NEVER had a huge chest. Google any REAL screen cap of the original. They’ve given her a full jersey and I guess did away her sexiness distracting Bugs thing but that’s it.

Second Looney Tunes will always be a viable franchise. It’s as ingrained in pop culture as any other major mascots. Saying nobody cares or likes them anymore is just a weird assumption. They don’t need to constantly be in the entertainment spotlight. Everything operates at it’s own pace.

You can take Scooby Doo as an example. We’re not living ”ScoobyMaina” but it’s obviously continued to be popular. It gets a new DTV movie like every year aside from the shows. LT keeps getting shows too.

Calling the whole thing corporate and self indulgent is totally unfair. Lebron has been wanting to do his own Space Jam for years. Regardless of WBs plans. I think he was the one that got it going.

Besides there’s nothing wrong with them having some fun with their properties. So studios just can’t do anything without it be labeled cash-grab or pandering or whatever else?

Removing Pepe Le Pew was unnecessary. I think the second director did it right? I wouldn’t be surprised if he showed up somewhere in the background. His deleted scene, if complete, should be on home video.

Anyway how exactly is it now “Big Bad WB” trying to force Looney Tunes on everyone?

I was about to reply about Lebron turning into a cartoon and how Bugs is wearing the original Tune Squad jersey but then I saw all this.

[ZariusTwo]

You can take Scooby Doo as an example. We’re not living ”ScoobyMaina” but it’s obviously continued to be popular. It gets a new DTV movie like every year aside from the shows

Scooby Doo was dormant for the majority of the 90s until Zombie Island reinvigorated it.

Since the, the direct to DVD movies have mostly all sucked. The franchise hasn't 'evolved' in years, any time they try something different like Mystery Inc or Be Cool, it's usually very short-lived, and we end up with formulaic series every so often until they work out how to do it differently again.

Loony Tunes get new shows every cup of coffee or so, but they don't stick do they? One or two seasons at most, and then dormant for another six or seven years.

[Leo656]

I'm sure Hulk Hogan would love to get "No Holds Barred 2" off the ground, but that doesn't mean it's a GOOD idea. :trazz: "Some rich guy wants his own vanity project" isn't an objectively good reason to wanna make a movie of anything.

I can't help but chuckle at how hyper-defensive Wildcat is about this whole thing. C'mon, guy, people are allowed to think this movie's a dumb idea. It is! Even if it turns out Not-Terrible, it's still a dumb idea. "25 Years Later" sequels are generally a bad idea. Vanity projects are a bad idea. "Ready Player One" was a bad idea, as are any attempts to try and "cash in" on that movie years later.

I'm gonna go ahead and pull the card people love to throw down, and say "You're too old to have such strong feelings." That works both ways, y'know, Positive AND Negative. :trazz:

[ranger_scout]

Basically it's Ready Player One meets Ralph Breaks the Internet.

[oldmanwinters]

Basically it's Ready Player One meets Ralph Breaks the Internet.

It struck me the same way.

Also, LeBron is trying to be a good dad, or something? I expect the mother will have some choice words for him throughout the film.

[The Deadman]

I somehow managed to push through the trailer and just....why? This looks horrible in every single way.

[Coola Yagami]

Basically it's Ready Player One meets Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Like I said, this is like Wreck-It Ralph, tons of videogames but most of it will focus on that Candy Racing game.

This is gonna be like Ready Player One but most of it will focus on Looney Tunes world.

I also hope it's not boring at the beginning. The original Space Jam did a great job of getting to the point. This movie BETTER not waste a lot of time setting up this secret facility and how LeBron and his son somehow ended up there and all that crap.

[oldmanwinters]

The original tried to be a Looney Tunes movie (Joe Dante might dispute how well it accomplished that), but this one looks to be a movie with the Looney Tunes "in it."

[IMJ]

Saw the trailer before Godzilla vs Kong the other day. It looks entertaining! Never saw the first one though.

[Leofan26]

The original tried to be a Looney Tunes movie (Joe Dante might dispute how well it accomplished that), but this one looks to be a movie with the Looney Tunes "in it."
This, judging by the trailer Bugs looks more like a sidekick than the actual leader of a team. As a Bugs Bunny fan myself this is dissapointing. The original film also was set in the actual Looney Tunes Universe and evolved around them. This one will focous on him getting his son back and playing a basketball game. Its nice of Bugs to help him though doesn't need to but does :/

Like I said I at least hope the first half is about the Looney Tunes gang.

[Coola Yagami]

This, judging by the trailer Bugs looks more like a sidekick than the actual leader of a team. As a Bugs Bunny fan myself this is dissapointing. The original film also was set in the actual Looney Tunes Universe and evolved around them. This one will focous on him getting his son back and playing a basketball game. Its nice of Bugs to help him though doesn't need to but does :/

Like I said I at least hope the first half is about the Looney Tunes gang.

Yeah, I mean the first movie had the Looney Tunes' lives at stake, which is why they needed Jordan, they were playing for their freedom.

Here they switch it around where LeBron needs their help, but I mean... it looks like he could have just called Batman or someone else instead since he has his pick of every fictional character ever.

[Wildcat]

Scooby Doo was dormant for the majority of the 90s until Zombie Island reinvigorated it.

Since the, the direct to DVD movies have mostly all sucked. The franchise hasn't 'evolved' in years, any time they try something different like Mystery Inc or Be Cool, it's usually very short-lived, and we end up with formulaic series every so often until they work out how to do it differently again.

Loony Tunes get new shows every cup of coffee or so, but they don't stick do they? One or two seasons at most, and then dormant for another six or seven years.Getting short lived tv series and/or DTV movies does not mean “they did not stick”. That’s literally how most cartoons work.

Only certain cartoons are fortunate enough to become massive and last for a super long time. Stuff like FW TMNT, Pokemon, MLP FIM. Was gonna mention The Simpsons but even that’s a special case.

You can’t base popularity on how long 1 series goes. It’s how long that franchise can maintain interest and being around.

Even without tv shows the DTV Scooby movies are quite consistent. I mean they don’t start over or get rebooted. You can technically view them as 1 ongoing series. So they’ve definitely stuck or they would not keep making them.

I'm sure Hulk Hogan would love to get "No Holds Barred 2" off the ground, but that doesn't mean it's a GOOD idea. :trazz: "Some rich guy wants his own vanity project" isn't an objectively good reason to wanna make a movie of anything.

I can't help but chuckle at how hyper-defensive Wildcat is about this whole thing. C'mon, guy, people are allowed to think this movie's a dumb idea. It is! Even if it turns out Not-Terrible, it's still a dumb idea. "25 Years Later" sequels are generally a bad idea. Vanity projects are a bad idea. "Ready Player One" was a bad idea, as are any attempts to try and "cash in" on that movie years later.

I'm gonna go ahead and pull the card people love to throw down, and say "You're too old to have such strong feelings." That works both ways, y'know, Positive AND Negative. :trazz:Let me clarify I was not defending Lebron. I agree thinking you deserve a movie is self centered. It’s something he’s been criticized for a lot during his career.

I was defending WB. That they’re not trying to force feed us their IPs. To be fair though there were plans for spinoffs with other celebrities but it wasn’t until Lebron’s deal that they went through with it.

I don’t agree that much later sequels are a bad idea. This in particular required a megastar basketball player. I’m not a Lebron super fan or anything. I’ve rooted for him sometimes because I hated his opponents but he honestly is the first player since Jordan to fit the part.

The problem is everything gets criticized for the exact same things. No matter the studio or franchise.

[Andrew NDB]

Also, LeBron is trying to be a good dad, or something? I expect the mother will have some choice words for him throughout the film.

Played by the main actress in Star Trek: Discovery. Yeah, there's no way in hell I would knowingly subject myself to this movie.

[superstaff]

Here they switch it around where LeBron needs their help, but I mean... it looks like he could have just called Batman or someone else instead since he has his pick of every fictional character ever.

Yep, exactly. Though I'd love to see Batman wearing a basketball jersey, and shooting hoops. :lol:

[sdp]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EyDj3rOU4AkPWqo?format=jpg

[oldmanwinters]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EyDj3rOU4AkPWqo?format=jpg

That's not creepy at all...
:teek::tcouch:

[Leo656]

The problem is everything gets criticized for the exact same things. No matter the studio or franchise.

Yeah, for being dumb. That's how "critical thought" works and it's part of being an adult. You start to recognize that some things are dumb and can articulate why. That's a "feature" of Growing Up, not a bug.

For example, when you're a kid, some kids think it's funny to smear boogers and feces on the walls. Then, at some point, you're supposed to realize that's bad. And what's more, you develop a higher brain function that allows you to articulate that "This is bad, Because..."

A high-functioning person doesn't just swallow anything put in front of them simply because it exists. That's what booger-eating, sh*t-smearing babies do. And that's Bad. A high-functioning adult can explain in crystal-clear detail why the world only needed two Terminator movies, or why it's really stupid to attempt a Space Jam sequel two decades after anyone would have cared, in an era where neither Looney Tunes nor basketball are even popular. Or why it's dumb to use said movie as a vehicle to rip off other, "better" movies like "Ready Player One" that arguably weren't even any good to begin with.

Yeah, "everything" gets criticized when it's a provably sh*tty idea. What's the problem with that, exactly? Dumb people are still "allowed" to like dumb things, but if they don't want people calling them Dumb then they can either toughen up or get higher standards. It's that simple.

And WB as a company does not deserve your defense, they're absolute sh*t. If anything they deserve more scorn, not less. Not just for this project, but for literally Every Single Decision They make. WB is trash.

[Allio]

Gotta love a good sh!tpost

xhk2gzmU35E

[Coola Yagami]

Gotta love a good sh!tpost

xhk2gzmU35E

I have to admit, that video got me until Bugs and Jordan started making out.

[Refractive Reflections]

Don't know if anyone heard, but not only was cancel culture wanting to remove Pepe Le Pew (as they succeed here), but also wanting to remove Speedy Gonzalez.

‘Space Jam’ Star Gabriel Iglesias Mocks Calls to Cancel Speedy Gonzales: ‘U Can’t Catch Me Cancel Culture’
https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2021/03/08/space-jam-star-gabriel-iglesias-mocks-calls-to-cancel-speedy-gonzales-u-cant-catch-me-cancel-culture/

Comedian and actor Gabriel Iglesias, who voices the popular Looney Tunes character Speedy Gonzales in the upcoming Space Jam sequel, mocked cancel culture following calls to “cancel” the famed Mexican mouse. “I am the voice of Speedy Gonzales in the new Space Jam,” Does this mean they are gonna try to cancel Fluffy too?” the stand-up comic said, referencing his nickname. “U can’t catch me cancel culture. I’m the fastest mouse in all of Mexico.”

Iglesias’ remark followed an op-ed penned by a New York Times columnist, who praised Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ decision to halt the publication of six books due to what has been described as “racist and insensitive imagery.” But the columnist, Charles Blow, took it a step further, lambasting various popular cartoon characters, blaming them for what he described as perpetuating problematic stereotypes.

“Some of the first cartoons I can remember included Pepé Le Pew, who normalized rape culture; Speedy Gonzales, whose friends helped popularize the corrosive stereotype of the drunk and lethargic Mexicans; and Mammy Two Shoes, a heavyset Black maid who spoke in a heavy accent,” Blow wrote in the piece titled “Six Seuss Books Bore a Bias.”

“Racism must be exorcised from culture, including, or maybe especially, from children’s culture,” Blow concluded. “Teaching a child to hate or be ashamed of themselves is a sin against their innocence and a weight against their possibilities.”

Last week, President Biden effectively bent to left-wing cancel culture by erasing Dr. Seuss from his presidential proclamation marking Read Across America Day. Pepé Le Pew is the latest casualty of cancel culture, getting slashed from the upcoming Space Jam sequel.


Also more info on the whole matter of Speedy Gonzales being seen as racist stereotype:
https://www.distractify.com/p/why-is-speedy-gonzales-canceled

[Coola Yagami]

Except Biden didn't. Dr Seuss own family did that.

[Wildcat]

Speedy Gonzalez might have started as a stereotype (not necessarily racist) but like the article points out he’s evolved past that. He’s a cute Mexican character that should be seen as being diverse.

Looking back his cousin Slowpoke Rodriguez was more stereotypical. Speedy is unique. He should crossover with Sonic.

[Leo656]

No he shouldn't. Stop it. :lol:

I agree otherwise, though. I always loved Speedy. Slowpoke Rodriguez, too, that guy was awesome.

[Wildcat]

I meant in something more one-off. Not a whole game or anything big.

Like if either had a cameo in something and they met. Just for the fun of it.

[Sumac]

I've heard about Gonzalez.
It another case of white rich dumb**** kids being offended on someone else's behalf, considering that Mexicans told those freaks one time after another that they don't find Speedy offensive at all and find him cool.

But, of course, white rich kids know better what offends Mexicans, than Mexicans themselves. Sounds like it is the case of certain thing...starting with letter "R".

[ZariusTwo]

The comic book adaptation was released today

[The Deadman]

Welp, this comes out friday. Who's watching?

[Jester]

Reading the graphic novel and it seems like "Hook meets The Lego Movie" with the basics of the original Space Jam thrown in.

[ZariusTwo]

Reviews are in and they're not pleasant.

https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a37009804/space-jam-2-reviews/

[sdp]

Let's be honest if the original isn't a master piece, it's just nostalgic and fun for people who grew up with it. We liked it as kids because we were kids, but it actually has a RT score of 44% because adults didn't like it. Same thing here in fact it'll likely have a higher RT score than the original.
Now I do think this movie is worse and it doesn't help that Looney Tunes are irrelevant to today's kids and Lebron is no Michael Jordan.

[Coola Yagami]

Yeah, honestly the only reason I know about LeBron is ironically, because he kept getting compared to Jordan.

But you're right. Nobody cares about basketball nowadays. Nobody cares about the Looney Tunes nowadays. And LeBron just doesn't have the fame Jordan has where even someone that doesn't know squat about basketball knew who he was back in the 90's.

Plus, one thing about Space Jam was the absolute randomness of the idea. Bugs Bunny teaming up with Micheal Jordan ala Who Framed Roger Rabbit, it's basically like those commercials they did (pop corn! pop corn! Get it while it's buttered!) but as a movie. You just can't repeat that. The shock is gone.

It would be like some other company years from now, made movies about Captain America, Antman, The Hulk, Thor and The Wasp and then made them all get-together for a big superhero movie. Sure it'll be cool, but it's been done and you can't recapture the same lightning in a bottle than when it first happened in 2012.

[AquaParade]

Let's be honest if the original isn't a master piece, it's just nostalgic and fun for people who grew up with it. We liked it as kids because we were kids, but it actually has a RT score of 44% because adults didn't like it. Same thing here in fact it'll likely have a higher RT score than the original.
Now I do think this movie is worse and it doesn't help that Looney Tunes are irrelevant to today's kids and Lebron is no Michael Jordan.

Hmm. Co-signed.

Edit: okay, I dont know that its necessarily worse, I'm just betting on it.

[CyberCubed]

I'll watch it out of boredom since it'll be free anyway.

[Coola Yagami]

I'll watch it out of boredom since it'll be free anyway.

because of course you will.

[CyberCubed]

The good thing is even if a movie isn't great you don't feel like you wasted your money on it.

[sdp]

Time is money. You did waste 2 hours of your life you can't get back that could've been used for something else.

[CyberCubed]

Time is money. You did waste 2 hours of your life you can't get back that could've been used for something else.

Not if you watch on 1.5x speed on a dual monitor on your computer so you can surf the internet and watch something at the same time. That's what I do.

In fact I'm watching a movie on my second screen as I'm typing this post out right now!

[sdp]

https://media1.tenor.com/images/9d494528243a17b01c239436d843f8b7/tenor.gif

[LeotheLateBloomer]

If they really felt the need to do another Looney Tunes meets real-life humans crossover film, they could've just tried something else more akin to Back in Action or putting them in a sport that's more popular these days. Then again, you'd probably get folks who'd say "I've seen this before with Space Jam."

Everything about this film just reeks corporate to the core.

[Leo656]

#MakeLola'sBoobsGreatAgain

[Sumac]

Original movie is a "period piece". Replicating it is as useless as making movie about dicso this days.

[Coola Yagami]

https://media1.tenor.com/images/9d494528243a17b01c239436d843f8b7/tenor.gif

dude... how did you find a pic of Cybercubed? I thought he was way more secretive than that.

[Wildcat]

If you follow Lebron you’d know he has more input on things than some would say he should. I doubt this movie was very “corporate”.

I’m not surprised it’s getting rough reviews. A movie meant to be for fun with different universes and cute characters was kinda bound to get criticized. Suddenly your franchises meeting up means you’re copying Ready Player One.

The original wasn’t amazing but it was entertaining. I think this is probably better but criticizing it for not being a groundbreaking sequel is just dumb.

[Leo656]

Orrrrr... could just be sh*t.

[ZariusTwo]

I've been watching clips of Lola on the Loony Toon Show recently..my god, despite how dumbed down she is compared to how she is on Space Jam, her chemistry with Daffy is quite good, why aren't they endgame? One episode comes close to realising that.

[oldmanwinters]

I haven't been to see the movie yet, but I have been to about 5 different McDs around town picking up the Happy Meal toys this week. :tlol:

[ranger_scout]

Well, I didn't think the film was all that bad. I did laugh in more than a couple of moments. However, the story is still not very fresh. It borrows so much from not only the original film but obviously also plenty from Ralph Breaks the Internet and Ready Player One.

Warner Bros. clearly wanted Vanellope Von Schweetz’s voice actress from Disney to do this film and have her be the character who gets the invitation from the internet type villain.

I also liked the references and Easter Eggs to Adam West's Batman like hearing the theme song and having Bugs and Lebron dress as the Batman and Robin from that show. I did see West's Batman and Burt Ward's Robin in the audience during the game. Plus, Eartha Kitt's Catwoman was there too.

Right now the film's estimated opening weekend is $31.65 million. If those numbers hold or go higher when actual numbers are released than it beats the $31.625 million 3-day opening weekend for Godzilla vs. Kong as Warner Bros. highest weekend debut in North America during the Covid-19 Pandemic. It's also looking at the highest opening weekend for a family movie during these times.

https://deadline.com/2021/07/space-jam-a-new-legacy-black-widow-weekend-box-office-1234794982/

[oldmanwinters]

In case you were waiting for it, here's a "How Dare You?" review of the whole concept via POLITICO:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/bleak-commercial-politics-space-jam-060016937.html

The original “Space Jam,” crass as it may have been, was harmless ‘90s fluff. Its successor, arriving in 2021, borders on a moral affront.

Over the past decade, the NBA has become the world’s most aggressively activist major sports organization. Its players have stumped for voting access, put the phrase “Black Lives Matter” on NBA courts, and nearly boycotted last year’s playoffs en masse amid the protests over the murder of George Floyd. It has been a dramatic and socially significant evolution from the days of Jordan, the famously apolitical uber-jock who once quipped that “Republicans buy sneakers, too.”

So to watch James in 2021, the league’s standard-bearer both as a player and political activist, traipse through the sealed-off virtual landscape of “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” it’s impossible to think of anything but what the league and its players aren’t saying. The film is carefully neutered to appeal to an apolitical global cinematic marketplace dominated by China. You spend its 115 minutes not recalling the lightweight delights of the 1990s, but of the moment in 2019 when NBA front-office guru Daryl Morey expressed support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, and a clearly peeved James slapped him down, accusing him of harming NBA players “financially… physically. Emotionally. Spiritually,” saying “we do have freedom of speech, but there can be a lot of negative that comes with that too. . . .

The 1996 film’s villain was a cigar-chomping, W.C. Fields-style misanthrope who wanted to imprison Michael Jordan for all eternity as a circus entertainer, condemning him to literally “shut up and dribble.” This is the same mindset that NBA players — James pre-eminent among them — have openly, and successfully, been fighting for the past few years, both in their political stances and assertion of their own agency as athletes and public figures. But the past few years have revealed clearly where they won’t step. “Space Jam: A New Legacy” feels like precisely the product of an algorithm written to scrub out anything that might threaten its, and the NBA’s, global ambitions. It’s impossible to sit through the movie and conclude anything other than that its villain has already triumphed.

(I won't argue that James isn't a hypocrite.)

[Sumac]

Politico is trash.

[TigerClaw]

The Director of Space Jam: A New Legacy wants Dwayne Johnson to be in Space Jam 3.
https://ew.com/movies/space-jam-new-legacy-director-picks-star-for-third-movie/

[frank_one]

The Director of Space Jam: A New Legacy wants Dwayne Johnson to be in Space Jam 3.
https://ew.com/movies/space-jam-new-legacy-director-picks-star-for-third-movie/I can see Dwayne doing it. Of course they should write the basketball stuff off and replace it with wrestling. A wrestling match in space with The Rock, the Looney Tunes gang and other random evil alien dudes? Sounds good to me. Bring Stump and the Turtles too!

[ZariusTwo]

Huh, just finished it, the comic book actually went with a different ending...

In the comics, the Toons argue about the loss of losing Marvin's ship so they can't explore the server 'verse. The actual film ends with a fake-out 'death' for Bugs that...doesn't really get explained away very well when it's walked back on. Call me 'loony' but I think the bit where he showed up to assure Lebron he was alright was thrown together and that he and the toons could visit them in real-world was last-minute

[LeotheLateBloomer]

Huh, just finished it, the comic book actually went with a different ending...

In the comics, the Toons argue about the loss of losing Marvin's ship so they can't explore the server 'verse. The actual film ends with a fake-out 'death' for Bugs that...doesn't really get explained away very well when it's walked back on. Call me 'loony' but I think the bit where he showed up to assure Lebron he was alright was thrown together and that he and the toons could visit them in real-world was last-minute

You'd think they would've done the obvious and have LeBron's son do something to fix/heal/reprogram Bugs to bring him back to life. Maybe learn what Al-G taught him to bring back his deleted character and apply it to their fallen teammate but I guess that wasn't an idea.

[ZariusTwo]

LeBron Space Jam hometown mural vandalized

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/07/27/lebron-james-space-jam-mural-vandalized-hometown-akron/5383471001/

Come what may, Malcolm D. Lee’s Space Jam: A New Legacy was a one-weekend wonder. I will admit being impressed at the $31 million opening posted by the LeBron James/Bugs Bunny sequel last weekend, if only because the buzz seemed non-existent and the reviews were expectedly poor. Again, that’s where the whole “successful disappointment” thing comes in. In regular times, a $31 million launch for a $150 million kid-targeted sci-fi comedy would be a disappointment bordering on disaster. But on a Covid curve, it was at least another case of a big Warner Bros. flick over-performing pre-release projections on the opening weekend despite the pandemic and the HBO Max factor. But a 69% drop is pretty bad under any circumstance.

With $9.5 million in weekend two, Space Jam: A New Legacy has earned $50 million domestic (after a $12.6 million overseas weekend, a decent -37% drop) and $94 million worldwide. With nine overseas markets scheduled for the next two months, including Japan (August 27) and Italy (September 23), this one could eke out a $150 million global cume, which would at least somewhat save face amid the current ever-changing (worsening?) circumstances. But it would appear that the folks who wanted to see Space Jam: A New Legacy in theaters did so last weekend, with the rest either not bothering or watching it on HBO Max. The movie was always a commercial coin toss. So is, good buzz notwithstanding, The Suicide Squad.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2021/07/25/black-widow-struggles-space-jam-tumbles-weekend-box-office/?sh=6a50c96f93bf

[Allio]

Definitely preferred the first film over the sequel. Doesn’t help that the Goon Squad had 0 personality (which the monstars had some) and the whole “style point” system felt so arbitrary and vague that there wasn’t really any stakes. So the goon squad was up by 800 points. So what? I do two stylish shots into the basket and I’m caught up.

At least for the first movie it was simple basketball rules that was broken by the sheer powers of the monstars and the looney of the tunes.

And Lola does less in this film than she did in the first. Sure, she had the Wonderwoman scene, but after that? Nothing.

[Leo656]

And Lola does less in this film than she did in the first. Sure, she had the Wonderwoman scene, but after that? Nothing.

Aw, that's a shame. Her and the Superman cameo are like the only things I give a sh*t about seeing.

[Allio]

The Superman came is less than 8 seconds. You ain’t missing much.

[Leo656]

So I've heard! I read about the whole gag leading into it on the Superman page. Seems like a whole lotta nothing.

I'll be honest, the whole thing just comes off like it should've been called "Space Jam 2: Please Subscribe to HBO Max (Look At All The Cool Sh*t We Own!)"

[Coola Yagami]

Space Jam - Ready Player Lebron.

[Allio]

For a sequel idea, though I don’t think Basket Ball would be a good idea a third time in a row, should be about a kid that gets trapped into the looney tunes world and where he is stuck and grows up there. Really dig into the Isekai genre.

[Leo656]

SUPPOSEDLY the sequel they were talking about last week at the water cooler involved getting the Rock to star and switching gears from basketball to wrestling.

I guess they'd change the name to "Space Slam", in that case.

It would be terrible no matter what though so it really doesn't matter what they call it. :lol:

[ZariusTwo]

SUPPOSEDLY the sequel they were talking about last week at the water cooler involved getting the Rock to star and switching gears from basketball to wrestling.

I guess they'd change the name to "Space Slam", in that case.:

They're like 20 + years behind on that....remember the YTMND Randy Savage "come on and slam" memes?:lol:

[Coola Yagami]

SUPPOSEDLY the sequel they were talking about last week at the water cooler involved getting the Rock to star and switching gears from basketball to wrestling.

I guess they'd change the name to "Space Slam", in that case.

It would be terrible no matter what though so it really doesn't matter what they call it. :lol:

In this one, Lola will be the first toon to ever transition. They'll be known as Larry now.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

Aw, that's a shame. Her and the Superman cameo are like the only things I give a sh*t about seeing.

I'm sure you could find a clip on YouTube. It was one of the few scenes in the movie that was mildly entertaining, especially if you're a DCAU fan.

Space Jam - Ready Player Lebron.

Sums up the movie perfectly. The original wasn't amazing but a product of it's time. Fun for what it was. This one was what you expected. It was also needlessly long.

Surprised we still haven't heard Wildcat's thoughts. Nor Shark Blade or Tigerclaw's.:lol:

[ZariusTwo]

The director would like to make the next one wrestling-themed and feature Dwayne Johnson

https://www.avclub.com/space-jam-a-new-legacy-director-malcom-d-lee-is-down-1847336241

[oldmanwinters]

The director would like to make the next one wrestling-themed and feature Dwayne Johnson

https://www.avclub.com/space-jam-a-new-legacy-director-malcom-d-lee-is-down-1847336241

I do kinda like the sound of "Space SLAM."